---- Chapter 41
"When did you tell me that you were Superman again?"
Lois watched Clark turn around, looking confused. "What?"
"The last thing I heard about the past is the second time I freaked out about you asking me out for the first time. I assume that it happened, and you had to tell me you were Superman at some point. I'd like to know how I reacted."
Clark sat the book down the he had been reading. Lois looked over to Jordan, who'd been sitting on the floor with her reading some children's books, running a hand over her head lightly before looking back up to Clark. It had been a lazy Saturday for all of them, with Clark not having to make too many trips out as Superman.
"Mommy?"
Lois looked down again, finding Jordan looking up at her. "What's up, baby girl?"
"I wanna tell you a story."
"Do you now?" Lois grinned, hoisting Jordan onto her shrinking lap. "What story do you want to tell me?"
---
Jordan picked up her blue crayon. Blue was her favorite color because daddy wore blue when he helped people. Looking down, she turned her coloring book so that the top was closer to her. Mommy would always tell her how big she was getting, but she never felt big. She couldn't reach things.
As she colored her picture, she could hear mommy and daddy talking. They told her that it wasn't polite to be loud, but mommy was always loud. Jordan liked her voice, though, so she didn't mind.
"When I said I was ready for another baby I didn't actually think it was going to happen that time! It takes most people months, and we get it in one shot." She started laughing, but it didn't sound like her normal laugh. "We picked a hell of a thing to be good at."
After she said that, mommy went quiet for a second. Jordan listened hard while she colored, liking the sound of the voices. She didn't like quiet because it was boring. When mommy spoke again, she sounded less happy than usual.
"Last time I was pregnant, I lost my memory. Fortunately, that was also the last time I forgot. It was... what? Three and a half years ago?"
"Three years, six months, eight days. Your second longest and counting."
"Sounds right. So, yeah... my time was probably limited anyway."
Jordan heard footsteps and looked up, watching as mommy and daddy walked out from their room. She had her arms crossed and looked sad. Daddy caught up to her and hugged her from behind, resting his head on hers.
"If it has to happen, Smallville, this is the best reason for it. Losing my memory because of a baby... I'd rather it be that instead of just a random loss. This makes it all seem a whole lot less pointless." She turned around in his arms. "I love you. Even when I don't remember, I love you and just haven't figured it out yet. When it happens... remember that."
"I know. I wish..." He sighed and kissed her shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, I enjoy brining you around to that conclusion, as hard as it can be to see you so lost."
Mommy laughed, then looked over and saw her sitting and coloring. Jordan smiled, and mommy smiled back at her, wiping a tear from her cheek. She walked over and scooped her up into a hug. Jordan wrapped her arms around mommy's neck, hugging her back.
"I love you, baby girl. No matter what, no matter when and in spite of everything else in the world, you are my daughter, and I love you more than anything."
"I love you too, mommy."
- - -
"And then after that, we had a big dinner at a restaurant. You said you wanted to enjoy as many meals as you could before the morning sickness started kicking in. I think that happened a few days later, because that's when you told me you weren't feeling very good because of the baby."
Lois could only stare at her daughter. How the hell did she remember something like that? She was three! Yeah, it was only a few months ago, but still... three!
"Jordan, how do you remember that?"
"You and daddy told me you think I have a phonogiraphic memory."
"Photographic, Jordan."
"That's what I said, daddy!"
Lois rubbed at her forehead. "When I asked you on Wednesday if you had anything else you wanted to tell me, Clark, this would have been a good thing to mention. I would have liked to have known that my daughter had a photographic memory before now."
"Well, when you were asking me if there was anything else I should be telling you, I was thinking more along the lines of Almond Joy, since we were discussing events surrounding his conception."
"Well, when in doubt, tell me everything." Lois looked down at Jordan before leaning over and planting a kiss on top of her head and letting her down off of her lap. "I prefer to know too much rather than too little. Knowing too little is what I have to deal with every day."
"I know, and I'm sorry. I'll be as forthcoming as I can from now on."
Lois stared at the blank television for a moment, thinking about the story Jordan had just told. "When exactly did that conversation happen?"
"September 23rd."
"Guess if we're doing things in order, that story isn't happening for a while."
"I can tell it now, if you want me to."
"No, that's ok. Hearing things in order doesn't allow for them to get jumbled up as easily in my head. That said, when did you tell me you were Superman after my second memory loss?"
- - -
Clark took a deep breath in and breathed out slowly through his nose, straightening his tie as he walked up to the apartment door. After being with Lois for a year and a half, a night out with her didn't seem TOO daunting, not like it had the last time they'd had a first date. He drew loads of confidence from the fact that he couldn't screw up as badly if he tried.
He raised his hand up and knocked on the apartment door, hearing a shuffling inside which made him smile. Knowing Lois, all she had on was her pants and a bra at the moment. The thought really made him want to look inside and see if he could catch a glimpse, but he held back. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't look at her in any clothes she didn't intend him to see, and he certainly wouldn't look at her without clothes. That could only lead to yearning and uncomfortably tight pants.
"Two minutes, Smallville! And for crying out loud, just come in! You didn't need to leave and come back to act like this was an actual first date!"
Clark smiled and walked in to find Lois buttoning up her shirt as she walked across the apartment. It looked new, which made him smile a little wider. He hoped it meant she'd put thought into it. "I was just trying to create a date atmosphere, Lo... Lois."
"About time you started catching yourself doing that."
"It wasn't something I had to think about for a while, so it took me four months to remember how to." He shrugged. "Guess I've never been the fastest learner when it comes to Lois Lane, even if it is just the fact that you have to earn the use of Lo, unless..."
"Unless you're family."
He watched her slip into a pair of heels, ones he hadn't seen before. He didn't keep track of her shoes, per se, but he just knew most of them by sight at this point and was surprised when she wore something he didn't recognize, be it shirt or shoes. She'd never been one to go get something new every month.
"When did you get the shirt and shoes?"
"Last night. Chloe came over, we did some talking and then went and got me a new clothes to wear. Her idea, not mine."
Clark deflated a little inside. Maybe she hadn't put much thought into it after all.
"I'm not against new clothes, and these are great, but I didn't really see the point. During our actual first date back when I don't remember, it seems like we tried to be people going out on a date instead of just being ourselves. I mean, first dates are basically interviews. There were extenuating circumstances at points, like when the waiter dumped food all over me, but we knew everything about each other already, so the uncomfortable silences didn't have anything to be filled by."
"That's an interesting way of looking at it. To tell the truth, you and I never really spoke about that date much because it spawned such an abysmal time between the two of us. But yeah, I think you're right on about not being ourselves."
"Of course I'm right, Smallville. Don't sound so surprised. So, how do I look?"
Clark smiled as he drank the sight of her in. She was... "Stunning."
"That's what I like to hear. Let's get this show on the road."
Fifteen minutes later, they were walking up to a greasy dive. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and it looked like she was trying to suppress a smile. "On our last first date, I tried to be fancy. Obviously, it didn't work, and I've never been mistaken for somebody that enjoys a high priced yet small meal. This place gives big portions of food for good prices, and it's more our style."
"You're damn right it is. I feel a little over dressed, now, but I think I'll live."
He held the door open for her, smiling as she walked inside and took a seat on one of the stools right in front of the grill. He sat down next to her as a frazzled looking woman placed menus in front of them.
"Drinks?"
Lois answered first. "Coke, if you have it. Sprite, if you don't."
The waitress looked to him. "Water, please."
She went and got their drinks, bringing back the coke Lois originally asked for. Clark watched as the drinks were put in front of them, happy when neither was spilled and Lois's was on the other side of her where he couldn't tip it over.
"Let me know when you're ready to order."
Clark nodded and opened up the menu, which consisted of various grilled meats covered with cheese between two slices of bread. It was like somebody had plucked it out of Lois's dreams, because all meat with cheese between bread was her first choice usually if she couldn't get Chinese.
"How have we not been here before, Smallville? If the food is good, this place is my new favorite." He smiled and looked over at her to be greeted by a pair of eyes full of mirth. "How did you even find out about this hole?"
He knew it was a term of respect for the place. In her mind, a good hole in the wall was better than any place that charged fifteen bucks for a steak. "I actually asked Bobby Bigmouth about the best greasy dives in Metropolis. The other few I already knew of, but this one was new to me and his favorite. Figured it was worth a try."
"Yeah, it really is." She paused a second, just looking at him. He did his best to keep his eyes matched with hers. "I'm really glad we're doing this, Smallville."
"Me too, Lois."
Smiling, they held each other's gaze a moment longer before Lois looked away to flag down the waitress. Ten minutes later, they were both eating cheeseburgers and agreeing with Bobby about how good the place was. Clark was almost done with his food and about to say something to her when he heard a cry for help downtown. Frowning, he stood up, trying to think of an excuse to tell her. He didn't want to lie to her anymore, but... but what? What was stopping him?
He placed a hand on her shoulder to pull her attention away from the food. She looked at him, frowning when she saw that he was standing.
"What's going on?"
"I have to go. There's... something I need to do." Clark pulled a fifty out of his pocket and sat it on the counter. "This should cover dinner and the cab ride home. I'll explain this to you there, ok?"
"Yeah, ok."
Not thinking, he kissed her on the forehead and bolted out the door, darting into an alley and after a quick change of attire took off. There was a three car pile up downtown that he cleared up, taking a couple people to the hospital and putting out a fire before it could do any harm to anyone or anything in the area.
After making sure the people at the hospital were going to be ok, he flew back towards his apartment and landed in the nearest alley. He made his way into the building and up to the apartment, finding Lois sitting on the couch listening to White Snake.
"Lois?"
She looked up and saw him, turning off the music and leaning back into the couch. "So, what's going on? Most dates going as well as the one we were on tonight don't end with the guy running out for no apparent reason."
"And like I said, I wanted to explain."
"Good, because I was really enjoying myself."
"I was too. And, as you may have noticed since you forgot, I have a tendency to be forgetful and have to run off to do things or get things."
Lois smirked, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I have noted your tendency to misplace your wallet and keys, yes."
"Well, there's a reason for that. But, it's not because I'm forgetful. It's because I'm usually needed and have to figure out a way to get out of where I am quickly."
"That's cryptic."
"Not as much as you think. Really, I've wanted to tell you this for a while, because it's something you forgot. I hate having to hide a part of myself from you, but with everything going on, I didn't want to overwhelm you. It was just hard to know where to draw the line, so I decided to err on the side of caution and poor excuses."
Clark took a deep breath, feeling more nervous than he thought he should. She'd handled it so well the first time, aside from looking so hurt that it would have haunted him had they not gotten together, maybe lightning would strike twice.
"I'm Superman."
He watched as Lois broke out into laughter. Not the reaction he was expecting, but not one he was surprised by. "And I'm Wonder Woman, nice to meet you. Seriously, Clark, you got all serious to pull a joke on me?"
"I'm not joking."
"Yes, you are."
"You can ask Chloe, if you want."
She raised an eyebrow, then started digging around until she found her phone. He watched her dial Chloe's number, smiling at her as she looked at him like she was about to burst his bubble.
"Chloe, hey! Yeah, no, I have a joke I want to tell you. So Clark and I are out on our date, eating at some greasy joint... yeah, he decided on that instead. Anyway, he has to leave in the middle of it, just runs off and says he'll explain at home. So I get back here and wait a few minutes until he walks in. He then, and I can't believe he thought I would buy this, told me that he's Superman. Yes, he really... what? No, there's no way..."
Lois looked up at him. "I'll talk to you later, Chloe." She stood up, closed her phone and tossed it on the couch.
"Fly for me."
Clark looked at her a second then granted her request, hovering up until his head was a couple inches from the ceiling. Her eyes went wide and she took a couple steps back. Clark lowered himself down again.
"Holy shit! You weren't joking!"
"No."
"But... what... you're from another planet?"
Clark nodded. "I landed in Smallville as a very young child where the Kent's, where my parents found me. The first meteor shower was remnants of Krypton. The second, too, but that's another story."
Lois thumped back down onto the couch. "Why didn't you tell me before? It's not like I was going to give you up to the government."
"I know. Like I said, I didn't want to overwhelm you, and this is pretty big news."
"No kidding." She looked up at him. "I appreciate the gesture, but you didn't have to wait four months. You could have told me after one or two and I would have been fine."
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm telling you months sooner than I did last time and without having to before we got too far into... something."
Lois stood up, eyes wide. "That does not make me feel better! All I get from that is the fact that you only told me last time because you knew you would get your ass kicked by me if you didn't! And yes, I would have found a way to kick your ass, with or without kryptonite."
Clark cringed, but apparently the shock was wearing off and the anger was here.
"I can't believe you, Smallville! You act like this is the worst secret ever kept, and yeah, I do not appreciate being lied to but it's not like you killed somebody. This is something you could have trusted me with. What did you think I was going to do, print an article about how Clark Kent is Superman? Everybody would think I was three kinds of insane!"
"So..."
"Ho no, I'm not done talking yet. You're going to sit your ass down and listen to every damn word I have to say!" She looked like she wanted to keep going, but after a minute of not saying anything frowned. "Ok, so I can't really think of anything else to say at the moment that wouldn't sound redundant. I think I've covered it all with the not believing and not feeling better about things. But I am still angry, damn it!"
"You are a lot more angry this time than last, it seems. Last time... last time you were hurt."
"I'm not entirely unscathed this time either, Smallville. Tell me about last time."
He told her the story, about the whole day of the Cinco de Mayo Incident. He wasn't surprised that she liked the name, since she'd enjoyed it so much the first time around. By the time the story ended, they were both sitting on the couch, Lois on one end and he on the other. She was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, staring at the ground.
"Yeah,," she finally said after he finished, "last time there was more hurt than this time. I'm sure there was plenty of angry then too, but it got overwhelmed by her... by me caring for you."
They sat in silence for a little while, Clark not knowing what to say. He figured that he would let her digest the story, hopefully able to come to terms with everything as quickly as she had the first time. At least it wasn't the middle of the night when he told her this time. He doubted he'd get much sleep anyway.
"This is the first time you've actually told me anything about us being together."
Clark looked over at her.
"I guess it is, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Ever since I found that ring on my finger when I woke up, I wondered how the hell two people like us could get started, and not surprisingly it was not something typical."
Clark chuckled at that. "No. Actually, about a week and a half after that you told me that I would never need any help being atypical. It was a random conversation, but something I like to remember."
"That's still very true."
"So... uh, I hate to have to ask this, but are we ok?"
He looked away after his question went unanswered for a minute, sighing. He knew that anger was different from hurt, but Lois had always been able to hide hurt a lot better than she had anger, and they weren't nearly as close as they had been the last time he'd told her. Heck, anger was generally what she used to hide hurt if she wasn't steeping herself in sarcasm.
"We're ok, Smallville. As much as I want to stay angry at you, I find myself admiring what you do too much to hold the not telling against you. No more lying though. Next time you do so we're going to have problems."
"Don't worry, there won't be a next time."
Lois turned to face him, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "Ok, so it's only 9:30. I'm willing to go back to our date if you are."
Clark looked over at her, grinning, and stood up off the couch, offering her a hand. She ignored it as she always did, standing up on her own. "How about we go out for some ice cream? Pretty much everywhere worth going is still open."
They left the apartment and walked to the elevator, smiling at each other as the doors closed. Lois threaded an arm around his, entwining her fingers with his as well. When she leaned her head on his shoulder, he couldn't help thinking that his Lois was coming back, despite knowing she never would be.
---
"You really should have just told me right away like you did this time. It would have made things a whole lot easier and hey, you may have even gotten me back sooner."
Clark smiled at her, walking over and sitting down next to her on the floor. "Obviously I learned the error of my ways, but we also didn't have a daughter at the time. The only person's welfare to consider was yours, and I didn't think it vital you know that I am from another planet."
"I'm just saying, it would have been nice to know. So, when are the Wayne's coming over?"
"Shouldn't be too long. Chloe was taking all the kids on a tour of the city. In fact, I'm going to predict that they'll be here right... now."
Right as he said now, there was a knock on the door. Jordan jumped up off the ground and ran over to the door while Lois just eyed Clark. He was smiling innocently, and she rolled her eyes.
"Cheater."
